Frost Queen Tomiko

by D. H. Huck

 

You can download the .epub (ebook) version of this novel here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright D. H. Huck

Published by Huckster Industries 2017

http://dhhuck.blogspot.com/

 

 

Chapter 1

The Flower of Umai

 

Ikumi gazed into the cave's gloomy entrance. She wasn't a fan of dark places, but it was the only location she knew of to collect the ingredients she needed. She checked to make sure her yukata was secure, the humidity making the deep red garment hug her body. Her soft brown hair was already rolled up and knotted at the top of her head, except for a few strands that fell down the side.

She held her hand out in front of her and blew warm air into it. A white flame sprang to life, dancing an inch above her palm. Ikumi pushed it forward and it drifted into the hollow. The one looming darkness was shattered, replaced with a thousand shadows cast by the brightening fire.

With a satchel slung over her shoulder she followed her spell, her sandals carefully finding a path along the damp floor of the cavern. She kept her ears perked, expecting any moment to hear from the dainezumi that made their home there. Her light moved forward as she did, and soon she was facing a line of stalagmites which blocked the entrance to the next chamber. Behind her the sound of nails on stone signaled the presence of the creatures she had been waiting for.

She turned around, seeing their furry bodies at the edges of the illumination. There were a half dozen of them, plus a half dozen pairs of glowing eyes from deeper in, where the light held no sway.

"Hello," said Ikumi, her voice gentle and sweet. "I'm just here for some songshrooms. I hope you don't mind."

She gave them her warmest smile. The dainezumi were about two feet long each, not counting their tails. They were baring their teeth and growling. Each growl was low and soft, but combined they made an imposing show. Ikumi understood their anger. She was an invader in their home, and didn't want to hurt them.

Ikumi put her fingers to her lips and kissed them, then blew the kiss toward the menacing creatures. With it went a pulse of magic. One by one the growls stopped, and in a few moments the dainezumi were coming fully into the light. She knelt down to pet them as they gathered around her, squeaking softly and nuzzling her legs.

"Aww," said Ikumi, "See? We can be friends."

She gave them a bit more attention before sending them back along, ready to resume her mission. Squeezing through the stalagmites was a challenge. Ikumi was not as athletic as some of her friends, and her breasts, which were very generously sized, gave her some trouble. She also had to admit that her yukata wasn't the best outfit for exploring a cave, restricting her legs too much to make climbing practical.

She found her way through regardless, and was rewarded by the sight of a still, silent lake that peeked into the chamber before disappearing under the wall. The shore of the lake was lined with glowing blue shapes, and now that all was quiet she heard their humming. Somber tones rose and fell, slowly changing in timber and volume. She got on her knees before them, putting her hands together for a quick prayer. She apologized to the cave spirits for taking their bounty, and promising to leave with no more than she needed. Once she was finished, she opened her satchel and, delicately, picked twenty of the songshrooms and sealed them inside. She said another prayer of thanks, urging them to grow back as quickly as they could.

Ikumi stood, and immediately noticed that something was wrong. The dainezumi were growling again. Her spell couldn't have worn off that quickly. They were also too far away, and a couple of pained squeals echoed throughout the cave. Before Ikumi could make sense of it they were quiet again. Something else was in the cave.

A shadow appeared on the ground in front of her, large and distorted. She spun around, but before she could see what was casting it her flame was squelched, leaving only the songshrooms' glow to light the room. It wasn't enough to tell her more than that a roughly man-shaped being stood a dozen feet in front of her.

"Who are you?" she asked, reaching into her belt to grab a small bundle of hairs.

A deep, rumbling voice, not of a human throat, responded to her.

"You're a nice little treat. Down here all alone, so young and soft-looking."

Ikumi read the threat in his voice. She brought the bundle of hairs in front of her mouth and let out a gust of air. The light grey strands took to the wind, swirling and multiplying until the coalesced into the shape of a monstrous wolf, his shoulder standing almost as tall as Ikumi's waist.

"Tsuki Okami!" she called out, and with her words the beast solidified and came to life. He glowed as brightly as her flame had, and over his back she caught her first real look at what was coming for her.

He was tall, almost seven feet, and would have passed for a well-built human in silhouette. In the light his skin was a dusky grey and his ears were long and pointed. So were his nails. His eyes were like that of a cat's, and when he smiled she saw his subtly extended canines. Slick, straight black hair streamed from his scalp down the back of his head. He was covered in furs, a mix of crude, simply made pieces and fine embellishments.

Ikumi had never heard of anything like him. He hadn't taken his eyes off her, and in his stare was a cruelty unmatched by any beast or spirit she'd known.

Her protector snarled and lunged at him, but when he made contact the creature melted, losing his form long enough to allow the wolf to pass through. Tsuki Okami yelped and whined, and Ikumi soon saw why- he was covered in a black, sticky tar that was quickly solidifying. He fell to the ground and became stuck there, despite his ferocious struggling. The creature regained his previous shape and stalked toward her.

Ikumi wasn't good at any directly offensive magic, but she didn't have anything else to protect herself with. She inhaled, preparing to blow a sharp gust of air at the creature that would hit him with the force of a stone. Before she could he closed the distance with a blur of motion. His hand wrapped around her face, long fingers locking it in his grip. She tried to pull it free, but even with both of her hands on his arm she couldn't do anything. He pushed forward, walking her back until she was pressed against the cavern wall.

"That mouth of yours is trouble. Let's do something about it."

At first she thought he was loosening his fingers. Instead, to her horror, she saw that his hand was melting. The inky tar was covering her mouth now, and she could feel it taking hold against her skin. Not thinking, she reached to pull it free, but the creature grabbed her wrists before she could.

He effortlessly lifted her off her feet, pressing her hands against the rock. This time one hand kept them in place while the other partially dissolved. The tar covering her mouth was like tough rubber now, glued fast to her lips and skin. She tried to open her mouth to scream, but the black substance was bonded too well, and she could only whine pitifully.

The creature let go of her hands, and now the same tar was holding her wrists to the wall, easily supporting her weight as her feet dangled a few inches from the ground. Ikumi turned her face away from him and shut her eyes, knowing she was doomed to suffer whatever fate he intended for her. It didn't take long for his hands to appear on her body, starting at her sides and following her waist down to her ass.

Ikumi didn't understand. She knew of dozens of dangerous creatures in the world. She'd dealt with yokai of all kinds. But nothing she'd ever seen or heard of would... would touch her like this. Somewhere, in the back of her head, an idea was screaming to come forward. Some part of her, buried in her mind where she never went, knew what was about to happen to her. Ikumi didn't know if she should fight to bring it out or keep it down, but terror was creeping through her on a level that she would never have though possible.

Ikumi lifted her legs to kick at him, but he was too close and all he had to do was to lean forward to pin her legs to the wall. He continued to take her flesh into his hands, squeezing and pinching her in strange and uncomfortable ways. The worst was when grabbed her breasts and worked his fingers all over them. What he was doing didn't hurt- not really- but it was worse. Worse than any bruise or cut she'd ever suffered. She could feel his hot, wet breath on her neck. She felt his drool drip onto her chest. She felt his tongue drag across her throat. Was he going to eat her? No, that wasn't it.

He stepped back, and after a few moments went where she was left to hang unmolested, she risked opening her eyes and looking forward. It was dark again. Tsuki Okami had disappeared. Her bag with the songshrooms had fallen open at her feet, and the glow made the creature look even more terrifying with the way it lit him from below.

He reached out and touched his long, sharp fingernail- no, his claw- to brush against her neck. With a flash of movement he swiped down. There was no pain. He hadn't cut her. Then her clothes opened up, sliced apart from her chest to her feet. Her belt dropped to the ground. The creature closed in on her again, squashing the songshrooms under his feet and killing her already meager light. His hands slipped into the opening. Once again he took enjoyment from touching her body, except this time it was bare skin in his hands.

 

Taiko grabbed the trunk of the tampopo tree to steady herself. It wasn't a steep hill, but the ground underneath her was soft and spongy. The tree shook, and some its seedpods broke off and started drifting through the air. The wind picked up as they did, scattering them away across the forest. Soon all of the tampopo trees would be ready to lose their seeds, and on a windy day the entire forest would be stripped and blown in a great cloud as far as the eye could see.

"How much farther do we have to go?" asked Miyoshi, huffing.

Taiko looked behind her. Miyoshi was a good thirty feet back, trudging up the slope. Chiyo was right behind Miyoshi, reading a book as she followed along, her short staff tucked under one arm. Only Yumi was keeping up with Taiko, using her spear as a walking stick.

"Until we find them, of course!" said Taiko.

Earlier that morning, one of the villagers had spotted a fuumog behaving strangely, wandering near the village and calling out in a sad, mournful tone. Taiko had gathered her friends to see what was wrong, and after Miyoshi's singing had calmed it down enough Taiko was able to talk to it. It could only respond with coos and gestures, but she was able to work out that it was a mother- and that her cubs had gone missing.

An hour later, she and her friends were in the Tampopo Forest, looking for clues to where they could have gone. So far, they had nothing to show for it.

"We can't just wander around the whole forest," said Miyoshi. "That'll take forever. We didn't even pack a lunch or any snacks."

"Hey, Chiyo," said Yumi, "Found anything useful in that book? Chiyo? Hey!"

"Huh?" she asked, finally looking up. "Did you find something?"

"Yeah," said Yumi, "Trees. I'm asking about you. Did you read anything useful or not?"

"Oh, uh, I don't think so. It says a lot here about the games that mother fuumogs and their cubs play together. There are over fifty observed dances and eight variations of fuu-rolling, and some special seasonal components to six of them- but nothing that would account for the cubs running away. They're supposed to be completely inseparable."

"That settles it," said Yumi. "They must have been cubnapped. At least that makes it interesting, finally. Once we find the culprits I'll be able to give them a good, solid beating."

"Who would do something like that?" asked Taiko, "You're just getting carried away."

"Miyoshi's right, though. This is boring."

"Yumi, don't say that. This is important. Besides, we should be close enough to where she lost them now."
        Taiko turned to face forward again. She found more stable footing and exhaled, clapping her hands together before making a wide circle with her arms, then bringing them in again and crossing them against her chest.

"Fuumog's nose!" she said, and with a pulse of magic another world appeared before her, this one rendered by her newly enhanced sense of smell rather than her vision. It grew in vibrancy and detail as she inhaled, adding in more colors as she took in new scents.

"Come on," she said, continuing forward. She scanned the ground for any lingering sign of the cubs. It wasn't long before she found their nest, but even after a half hour of searching she couldn't find a trail leading away from it, other than the mother's. She didn't smell any of Yumi's hoped-for cubnappers, either.

"Nothing," she said, stopping to sigh. "I don't get it. It's like they just vanished."

"You shouldn't be surprised," said Chiyo. "If it was that easy, the mother would have tracked them down right off. She's got more experience than you with that nose."

"Hey," said Miyoshi, kneeling next to a bush. "Look at these berries. I've never seen this kind before- do you think they're good to eat?"

"Are you really worried about that right now?" asked Taiko.

Miyoshi never did have much of a taste for adventures. She preferred her singing, her sweets, and her crafts. Taiko couldn't get too annoyed at her- she had come along, after all, because she was a loyal friend who was willing to help, even if she complained about it.

"Those are murasakino berries," said Chiyo, squatting next to Miyoshi. "Funny, they usually don't come in this early in the year. They're okay to eat, I guess. Not poisonous, but they're supposed to be kind of bitter. They're mostly used by alchemists to- hey, wait!"

"Taiko," said Chiyo, standing up. "Do you smell any more of these berries anywhere? Anywhere where it looks like they've been eaten?"

Taiko scanned the area again.

"Over there," she said. "I don't see them anymore, but the smell is still there. And all of the cubs were gathered by them too."

"Hm?" said Yumi, whose attention had drifted off a while ago, "Did you guys find something?"

"Murasakino berries are used to make a brew that's used to cover up bad smells. You just need to mix them with- here we go!- dried nensho leaves. Fuumogs eat both, but usually the nensho leaves are gone before the murasakino berries start sprouting."

"That's it!" yelled Taiko, "The cubs must have lost their scents! They wandered away and then couldn't follow their own trails back to the nest. And the mother couldn't either."

She rushed over to the berries, gathering them and taking them to the leaves that Chiyo was holding. She smashed them together in her hands until a new color emerged. Or, rather than a new one, one that she hadn't taken notice of before. Now that she was looking for it she could see where it was all over the nest. And where it lead away.

Taiko took off running.

"Come on!" she shouted. The trail was easy to follow now, and she felt giddy and excited. Her skirt flapped against her legs as her knees beat up and down, and she felt the bouncing of her long, wavy hair on her back. The wind blew a few of its pink strands into her eyes, and she almost tripped clearing them away.

She stopped at a small ravine. The scent was all over the place here, trails crisscrossing each other and converging to a center. Yumi was right on her heels, while Chiyo and Miyoshi were still catching up.

Taiko hopped down into the ravine, and behind a fallen tree she saw four huddled balls of fur.

"Hello," she said, holding out her hand. When they saw that their hiding place was compromised they uncurled, backing away from her. One of them reared up on his hind legs and tried to roar at her. The sound made Taiko giggle, which startled him. He fell over backwards and rolled around to get back on his feet.

"Okay," said Yumi as she joined her in the ravine. "You found them. Grab 'em and let's go."

"Not like this," said Taiko. "They're too scared. I wish I still had some of those berries to offer them..."

"Where's Ikumi right now? Shouldn't this be her specialty in the first place?"

"She went to go find some songshrooms," said Miyoshi, leaning over the top of the ravine. "Aww, is that them? They're so cute!"

The brave one was awkwardly swiping its paw in Taiko's general direction.

"Come down," said Taiko. "Come sing for them. It worked for their mother, remember?"

"It's dirty down there," grumbled Miyoshi.

Yumi walked up and seized her, pulling her down and pushing her in front of the cubs.

"Alright, alright," she said. She knelt down, getting as close to eye level with the little fuumogs as she could.

"My name is Miyoshi," she said. "You must be tired after being lost all day. Do you want to hear a lullaby?"

The cub roared again in response. Miyoshi started singing.

It was a sweet, gentle melody that Miyoshi's voice suited beautifully. Taiko loved watching her sing. Of all her friends Miyoshi was the prettiest. Everything about her was warm, soft, and gentle, from her autumn brown curls tied up in colorful ribbons to her red and white flower printed dress. Even her figure was soft. While Chiyo was more slender under the loose robes she usually wore and Yumi was firm and toned, Miyoshi had gently flowing curves that Taiko admired.

The cubs were now enthralled enough to let Miyoshi reach forward and rub their little heads. They sniffed tentatively at her, and Taiko could see where they were focusing on- the spot where their mother's scent was on Miyoshi's clothes.

"Miyoshi," she said. "Can you weave a basket for us? To carry them in?"

        "I could," she said, "But don't you want to just hold them yourself? They're so fuzzy!"

"Where's Chiyo?" asked Yumi. "Wasn't she behind you?"

"Um..." said Miyoshi.

"Hey!" yelled out Yumi, climbing up the ravine, "Chiyo! Where did you go? What the- Taikio! Quick!"

Taiko scrambled up the ravine, the urgency in Yumi's voice speaking for itself. She gasped when she saw what was happening.

A few dozen yards away was Taiko's friend, on her knees with her head bowed. Behind her was a tsurujin- a tangle of animated vines clinging and snaking its way around the nearby trees. It was also snaking its way around Chiyo.

Her arms were behind her back, held together by the vines. They were being pulled straight up, forcing Chiyo to lean forward. A vine was wrapped around her legs as well, and just when Taiko was wondering why Chiyo hadn't called for help she raised her head, and Taiko saw the thick vine that was between her teeth.

Another was coiled a few times around her neck, and more were around her chest, crisscrossing between her breasts to pinch them in between.

Taiko was horrified. It looked incredibly uncomfortable. Downright painful, more likely, and the desperate look in Chiyo's eyes said she was right. The vines slithered and squeezed in a way that seemed purposeful, like it enjoyed hurting her for some twisted reason. She tried to fight it, but was no match for its strength, and it pulled her arms higher as if to punish her. Taiko heard her cry of pain even through the vine in her mouth.

Yumi was already in action. She had her bow in her hands and an arrow nocked. She let it fly, and scored a hit against one of the vines holding Chiyo's arms up in that awful pose. The vine snapped, but another took its place. The tsurujin grew visibly angry, free limbs now whipping through the air. One of them twisted itself into Chiyo's hair and pulled her head back.

Taiko wasn't going to let this happen. She rushed toward the monster, closing into range where she could use her magic. Three more arrows flew past as she ran, but to no effect as the vines swatted them out of the air.

Taiko stopped and took her stance, moving her arms in the gestures that would channel her spirit into the spell.

"Ushimuttsu's brawn!" she shouted, and with a flick of her wrist let it fly to Chiyo. A curving trail of green light burned toward her, striking her in the chest. Immediately Chiyo's struggles were infused with great vigor, but she was still unable to free herself.

Yumi was rushing past Taiko now as well, bringing her spear to try what her arrows had failed to do. She swung it like a glaive, trying to cut the vines, but she was immediately pushed back, unable to catch them in their violent arcs through the air. They reached out for her, and even Yumi's quick reflexes were barely enough to keep from being caught.

Taiko wanted to join her, but there was little chance of her going into melee with those vines and not being instantly captured. With the fuumog's nose spell still active she wouldn't be able to cast any others on herself, and with the ushimuttsu's brawn spell on Chiyo she couldn't cast anything on Yumi. With only one type of magic left to throw into the fight she concentrated on the environment, looking for something she could use.

Yumi dove in again to try to free Chiyo, but once more she was forced to flee as a dozen attacks came at her from a dozen different angles.

"Yumi! Jump!"

Taiko shouted the order a moment too late. A vine that had crept low, beneath Yumi's guard, whipped around and struck her in the back of her knees. Yumi fell onto her back, and in an instant the vine was wrapped around her ankles.

"Dammit! Get off me!" she yelled, trying to get her spear spun around to cut them loose. Now that she couldn't dodge it was only seconds before her arms were seized. The tsurujin pulled her into the air, dangling her by her feet while the vines entwined around her wrists, pulling them hard to the ground. She was stretched as straight as a board, and her angry curses were cut short as the green tendrils sought to invade her mouth like they had Chiyo's.

"Taiko! Do something!" cried Miyoshi.

Taiko felt the wind picking up, taking with it seedpods that had been shaken loose from the tampopo trees by the tsurujin. Taiko saw her opportunity. Her arms danced as she brought forward her magic. The tampopo trees wanted to blow away. It was in their nature, even if their trunks were now too thick and too heavily rooted. Taiko reached into them and brought out that desire.

"Scatter, tampopo trees!"

The next gust of wind didn't just take the seedpods. The trees themselves- at least the ones that Taiko had enchanted- tore from the ground and went with them. The tsurujin was pulled in ten different directions at once, and was forced to let go of its supports lest it be torn to shreds. The mass of vines dropped to the ground, and without the trees to anchor itself to it could no longer hold Chiyo and Yumi in their suspended positions.

Yumi only got to her knees before the tsurujin made up for it by wrapping dozens of more vines around her. Chiyo, her strength enhanced by Taiko's spell, fared much better. In the moment of the tsurujin's confusion she tore herself from the vines and scrambled away. More pursued her, but the few that found her limbs were ripped in two.

Chiyo scooped up her staff from where it had fallen onto the ground. Now armed, she turned around and pointed her weapon at the tsurujin. Taiko knew what was coming next. Chiyo only needed a moment to focus before she shouted and thrust the staff in the tsurujin's direction.

Energy arced down the staff and fired at the mass of vines. The tsurujin, still trying to rise up, suddenly ripped into a thousand shreds. A few seconds of quiet were followed by a rain of wet green bits all around where the tsurujin once stood.

Chiyo plopped onto her knees, dropping her staff. Taiko ran up and threw her arms around her.

"Chiyo! Are you okay?"

"I… I think so."

She was trembling, and there was a gash on her arm where her sleeve had been torn. Taiko made a series of prayer symbols with her hands, then touched the wound. It healed, closing before her eyes and leaving no trace of itself.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I followed you guys to the ravine, but then I saw the tsurujin a little ways away and went to go have a look. Then it just… it just attacked me. I don't know what it was trying to do to me. They don't- I mean, they're not supposed to be aggressive. They don't eat animals or anything, they just find good places to sun themselves."

"Mmph!"

Taiko turned to see Yumi, still on the ground. The vines holding her were dead now, but they had been wrapped well enough that she still couldn't get loose, and from the way she was jerking about it wasn't from lack of effort.

"Aww," said Miyoshi, finally catching up. "She actually looks kind of cute like that. Maybe we should leave her for a little while."

Yumi made her opinion on that clear enough, and Miyoshi giggled at her muffled threats.

"Miyoshi, could you make that basket for us now?" ask Taiko, kneeling to help Yumi get free. "I've got this odd feeling that we shouldn't wait around here."

 

Akio rolled, dodging just in time to avoid being skewered by the shard of ice that crashed into the ground where he once stood. The ice harpy was already preparing another one, hovering high enough to be out of his reach but close enough to be deadly.

Several of his men were already down. There were three of the winged creatures, and their frozen skin was hard enough that arrows were doing little more than chipping them before bouncing off. The mountain slope they'd been caught on suited the harpies- there wasn't much cover around, and neither was there much room to maneuver without risking a nasty fall.

A trio of smaller, faster shards streaked toward him, and it was only within a hair's breath that he deflected them with his blade. Akio wasn't going to wait for what she was going to try next. He risked a perilous sprint across uneven ground to reach one of his spearmen, ripping the weapon from his hands.

Just as the harpy was ready to lob another icy dagger at his neck he hurled the spear into her chest. The weapon's greater weight drove it into the ice, and with a howling shriek she fell to the ground and shattered.

Akio, free for a moment at last, scanned the terrain. The water in the air was already condensing in a vortex above him, freezing into another one of the creatures. That meant that the creatures' summoner was nearby. They'd been tracking her for days, and this ambush was her attempt to get rid of her pursuers. Instead it was going to lead him right to her. He focused his senses and picked out the unmistakable shimmer of magic on a cliff above.

He was scaling the rock face in a flash, pushing his muscles to their limit to reach the top before one of the harpies took advantage of his exposed position. He hurled himself over the ledge just as she completed her spell. It didn't matter now. He had her.

Her name was Kori, and she was one of Queen Tomiko's three Oni- her best and deadliest champions. When he'd heard she was on a mission in the Misuto Mountains he immediately struck out on the chance at capturing or killing one of his enemy's greatest assets. Now he was finally within a few paces of her.

She had the form of a beautiful woman, dressed in a blue robe with white trim that was cut to show her off. Her breasts were put carefully on display, and it parted beneath her belt to let her leg slip out. Yet she was clearly the Oni her title claimed her to be, with red skin, a horn that stood out from her forehead, and extended canines that he could see from her wicked cackling as she finished her summoning. That expression changed when she noticed him.

He didn't give her much time to prepare, closing the distance and hitting her square in the jaw.

She didn't go down as easily as he'd hoped. In fact, if he had to guess, his hand hurt more than her jaw did. She struck back at him, but while she may have had the strength and toughness of an Oni she wasn't used to using it in hand-to-hand combat. He let her push him back to the cliff edge, feigning retreat while she swung more and more wildly. When he was inches from the ledge he caught her arm, twisted, and hurled her off the cliff. It was about thirty feet down, and landing flat on her back was enough to knock the lights out of her.

All three harpies screeched before falling to the ground and melting, unable to live without their summoner's concentration.

"Get the chains!" he yelled, scrambling down the side of the cliff. She was starting to stir, and his men barely moved fast enough to pile on top of her. It took four strong men to roll her over and keep her arms pinned to her back. She grunted in anger as Akio fitted the steel shackles around her wrists.

Even with those on her she put up a fierce struggle as wrapped her body and limbs in chains. He looped them around her arms and chest, pulling them until her elbows almost touched. Locks were snapped closed through the links to keep them in place while more chain was coiled around her neck and legs.

When they were finished his men put her on her knees before him. Kori looked up at his face, fury burning in her eyes.

"You won't get anything out of me," she said. "Kill me now if you're smart, because once I find a way out of these chains I'll rip you apart with my teeth."

He gripped her jaw to tilt her face up some more so that he could get a good look. There was a viciousness in it, framed by her ebony hair, that thrilled him. She was no less attractive for it, and the way her torn dress now clung to her body promised him delights in the flesh underneath. When he saw her strain against the steel links he couldn't wait to see with how much fury she would squirm and struggle when he put the whip to her.

"Tell me, is your cunt as tough as the rest of you? It'll be interesting to see how well it holds up after I let every man in my castle dip his cock into it."

"Gag her," he ordered, "Use the bit, and sink it in nice and deep."

She was trouble getting down the mountainside, but after she'd eaten dirt enough times she behaved better. She would still need a lot of work to break, but Akio didn't mind that at all. An hour later they were in the valley, and from there would follow it to lead back to the plains.

A scouting party of three men was waiting for him. Three men and something Akio hadn't seen before.

"Lord Akio," said Sergeant Norobu, bowing before him. "I must report that we did not locate the Oni's hiding place, or any other sign of enemy operations."

That Akio was hauling the Oni with him in plain view didn't matter. Reports were to be made promptly and honestly, and Akio was pleased that his sergeant understood that.

"In addition, we have captured this prisoner. We have not ascertained her allegiance yet."

The prisoner was a woman, at least as much as the Oni was. She was young, maybe twenty, and very pretty. Long white hair cascaded from her head- not greyed like an old woman's, but milky and full. Poking out was a pair of ears that looked like a cat's, and the tail that swished angrily from side to side behind her matched them. Her eyes were bright green, and they almost glowed. They were the most alluring he'd ever seen.

Her arms were folded behind her back, and the tight and orderly ropework across her chest suggested that they were tied securely. Under those ropes she wore nothing but a black tunic, cut low enough to show off her round breasts, enhanced by the way her chest was bound. It was tied with a simple belt and came less than halfway down her thighs. The whole thing was lined with white fur, almost matching her hair and tail.

She was almost chewing on the cloth that was stuffed in her mouth, glaring at him and grunting sharply.

"Ungag her."

Norobu obeyed, and it didn't take half an instant before she started speaking.

"You! Tell these men to untie me!"

"No. Who are you?"

"'No'? What do you mean 'no'? They showed up out of nowhere shouting orders at me, and when I refused they attacked me! They even tied me up. This isn't comfortable, you know, and that cloth tasted awful. If you're in charge these goons then you should be punishing them for-"

Akio slapped her

"H... hey..." she stammered.

He hadn't hit her hard, but he'd gotten her attention. She was trying to back away from him, but the scouts were holding her in place. She shrank and her ears went flat. Her tail stopped beating the air and hugged her leg.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm not going to tell you anything you... you jerk."

She sounded pitiful now, her boldness gone. He was confident that he could get her talking very quickly, but with the Oni as his other prisoner he didn't want to divert his attention or stay out in a vulnerable location for long.

 

Yumi's hands pounded on her drums, keeping the beat for the rest of her friends as they sang. All of the villagers were watching, listening, and cheering while Taiko danced along. She was center stage for the upbeat chorus and charmed the audience with her playful skips and flourishes.

She was a natural. Yumi didn't have much desire to be in her place, but she was still a little jealous of her raw presence when she was performing. Yumi had more stamina in any athletic sense, but Taiko had an endless energy that she couldn't match, and she moved with a perkiness and bounce that wowed everyone who got to see it.

The chorus ended and Taiko dropped away to let Miyoshi take over with a haunting solo. Yumi stopped as well while the simple, sweet melody washed over the audience. It struck them silent, and only when it ended did their cheers return to accompany the end of the song as Taiko, Miyoshi, and Chiyo finished in harmony.

The Umai harvest festival began at twilight and lasted until the moon reached the center of the sky. Bonfires held back the night while the villagers ate, danced, dressed in lively costume, and offered humbled prayers to the earth spirits. Like for every festival, Yumi and her friends were the most cherished performance, looked forward to by everyone. They were singing their most popular set tonight, wrapping it up with Harebottaidesu Asa, a song about playing around in a perfect dream before waking up for a hard day's harvesting.

The song ended and the curtain closed, drawn shut by Miki, the baking woman. Taiko waved and blew kisses to the audience until the last crack between the hanging cloth disappeared. She turned back around and sighed, worn out by her energetic performance.

"That was great guys! Just like always!"

"Not quite like always," said Chiyo, "We were really missing Ikumi's flute. I can't believe she's so late."

"She's probably still at Jiichan's," said Miyoshi, "His ushimuttsu were sick, and she needed the songshrooms to ease their stomachs. I bet she didn't want to go until they were better. She wouldn't leave them suffering like that, you know."

"Miyoshi's right," said Taiko. "Besides, we did fine without her. We'll give her double duty at next week's tanuki festival to make up for it."

Miyoshi giggled.

"Come on," she said, grabbing Yumi and Chiyo by their arms, "Let's go start the feast! We'll save some for Ikumi."

She dragged them off the stage, exiting in the rear while Haru passed them climbing up.

"You guys were amazing," he said, "I can't wait to hear you again next week."

Yumi saw Chiyo blush at him, confusing her. Everyone had complemented them on their singing a thousand times before. What was there to be embarrassed about?

She didn't have long to think about it. Miyoshi was aggressively herding them to the booths where the fruits of the harvest had been made into a hundred different kinds of treats.

Umai wasn't a large village, with maybe a hundred people living there. Simple wooden cottages with thatch roofs, usually serving as both people's homes and their shops or places of business, surrounded a large open circle. Tonight it was covered with decorations, many of them made by Miyoshi. Effigies of earth and water spirits hung from poles and colorful paper banners spanned the spaces between houses.

The most impressive piece stood in the dead center of the circle- a human-sized statue made of layered paper over a delicate wooden frame. Thousands of flowers made up her dress, and her hair was woven together from long grasses. Yumi had no idea how Miyoshi had managed to freeze them in place to make them look like they were blowing in the wind as the spirit ran along.

"Taiko," ordered Miyoshi, "Go secure that table for us! Yumi, hold these cakes. Chiyo, get me that trey. Hurry! We only have a few hours!"

Yumi's opinion was offered and rejected in Miyoshi's crusade to get samples from each of her favorite booths, seconds for some, and a generous reserve of picks from her second-favorites. They wound up at the table Miyoshi had demanded with a pile of food that would make them sick if they ate it all, and Yumi knew that Miyoshi would demand they do exactly that.

The stage curtain was open again, and Haru was performing the traditional harvest festival dance. As usual, he was stripped to the waist and decorated with colorful bands tied around his arms. He was the village's strongest and most handsome young man with his tanned skin, well-built muscles, and wildly cut and fashioned black hair. He was graceful and forceful in his motions, and something more besides.

Yumi had seen this dance for a dozen years that she could remember, and probably more from before that, but now she found herself staring at Haru, feeling a strange excitement that she had never experienced before. It made her warm, and she had to look away and try tasting one of the sweetjellies to get it out of her mind. Across the table Taiko and Miyoshi were laughing and playing, Miyoshi trying to force her to try something while Taiko fought her off. Chiyo, though, was watching Haru, and had a look on her face that Yumi hoped she hadn't been sharing just a moment ago.

"Knock that off," she commanded, tossing a creamroll at Miyoshi and hitting her square in the face. It was a needed distraction from thoughts that were making her feel weird.

"Hey!" said Miyoshi, "Don't throw food! You shouldn't waste like that."

"They've got plenty more. And you're wasting more than I am trying to stuff it in Taiko's mouth against her will."

Miyoshi huffed.

"See? I told you we should have kept her tied up. They we could have put whatever we wanted in her mouth."

There was an evil in the way Miyoshi said that

"Not on your best day," said Yumi, readying another creamroll.

"Chiyo! Grab her," said Miyoshi, picking up a weapon of her own.

Chiyo wasn't listening, still turned around and watching Haru dance.

"Hey, Chiyo," said Yumi, shaking her arm. "The food is this way."

"Huh?" she said, not turning around. "Oh, yeah, I was just watching the dance. He's doing it really well this year, don't you think?"

Yumi didn't have time to respond before a bird landed on the table. She was about to shoo it away before she noticed that it was a whisper bird- one of Jiichan's pets.

"Stop it!" shouted Miyoshi, breaking into laughter.

Taiko was exploiting Miyoshi's ticklishness to drive her off. Both of them stopped when the bird hopped over to a surprised Taiko, and she leaned over curiously to listen to its tweeting.

Taiko shot up and gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"What?" demanded Yumi, seeing by the look on Taiko's face that something was wrong. "What did it say?"

 

Miyoshi was out of breath long before Jiichan's hut appeared over the low, rolling hills of his farmland. Jiichan liked the peace and quiet of living remotely, growing his honey melons a good run north of the village.

"Come on!" shouted Yumi.

Her tone was short, but Miyoshi didn't blame her for her agitation. There wasn't anything Miyoshi could do, though. She wasn't as fast as Yumi or Taiko, and even Chiyo was leaving her behind. Having to hold her dress while she ran didn't help. She did her best, as desperate as the rest of them to get to Jiichan's.

The last hill was the hardest, and when she reached his open door she collapsed against the frame. Her friends were already inside, surrounding the cushioned tatami mat where Ikumi was laying. Miyoshi took in enough air to steady herself before joining them.

Ikumi was resting on the mat, sleeping restlessly as if in the middle of a nightmare. Her mouth was covered with a strange black tar which wrapped her face beneath her nose. Miyoshi wondered why it hadn't been torn off yet, then saw that it was also on her wrists. Her hands were laying crossed on her stomach, fused together by the tar. Her clothes were gone, her body wrapped in a blanket from her chest down. She was sweating slightly, and every few seconds there as a quiet moan that couldn't escape her sealed lips.

"What is this?" demanded Taiko, "What happened?"

"We don't know," said Hiroji, one of the two men aside from Jiichan in the hut. He was the miner, making his living by digging into the earth for rare metals and gems.

"Ikumi came by here earlier today," said Jiichan, rising from where he had been sitting. He was a short, elderly man with just a wisp of grey hair left to cover his head. His hard-worked hands gripped a walking stick to steady himself.

"My ushimuttsu were ill, and she offered to go find some ingredients for a medicine to help them. I waited a few hours for her, but then I started to worry when she wasn't coming back. I was lucky that Hiroji and Isao here came by."

"When he told us Ikumi might be in trouble we went out to look for her," said Hiroji. "We found the cave where the songshrooms grew, and we went inside and..."

He turned to Isao, who couldn't seem to bring himself to speak. Hiroji continued, bearing the burden of telling his story.

"Ikumi was like this, except... except she was glued to the wall. Her hand, and her feet too. We tried to peel this... this stuff off but nothing would budge it. We couldn't cut it either. I had to use my tools to chip away the rock to get her down."

"Did she say anything?" asked Taiko.

"No, she was like this when we found her, and she hasn't woken up since."

"What the hell happened to her clothes?" asked Yumi.

"They were destroyed," said Jiichan. "Ripped and cut up so much that they were barely covering her at all when Hiroji and Isao brought her in. It was embarrassing, but I had to get rid of them entirely to wrap a blanket around her."

He picked up the shreds of Ikumi's yukata and handed them to Taiko.

"Something must have attacked her, but I can't think of anything that would do this to someone. I didn't see any injuries on her, save for a few scratches and bruises, but she's clearly hurt."

Taiko put her hand on Ikumi's stomach, and with the other made her healing sign. Miyoshi watched the magic come, but if made Ikumi feel any better she didn't show it.

"I can't find anything to heal on her. Nothing except..."

Taiko bit her lip, and Miyoshi wondered what she was holding back.

"The black stuff... it wants to keep her like this. That's all I can feel in it. All my magic would do is make it grip her even harder. Chiyo? Have you ever read about this? In any of your books?"

Chiyo's stare was fixed, and she was shaking. Taiko put her hand on her shoulder and asked her again.

"Chiyo, have you read about anything like this before?"

"No," she said, "This is terrible. This stuff isn't like anything I've seen. I could do some research, but- Taiko, how is Ikumi going to eat or drink anything? What if it takes days to figure anything out?"

Chiyo was shaking. Taiko took her hands and held them, speaking softly to calm her down.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything that horrible happen to Ikumi. I don't think I can do anything to the black stuff, but I can cast a spell that will make her sleep so deeply that she'll be able to spend a whole season without needing food or water. Just leave it to me- I'll protect her. And tomorrow we can start going through your books. We'll find a way."

Taiko's words seemed to calm Chiyo. She was good at doing that. Miyoshi always felt a warmth in her chest when Taiko spoke. There was something strong and beautiful inside of her that could promise to set right anything that was wrong.

"You should stay here for the night," said Jiichan. "I've got plenty of space, and if there really is a monster wandering around that can do this… well, I don't know if even you four should be traveling at night."

"Thank you, Jiichan," said Taiko, bowing. "I'll start the spell for Ikumi right away. Long-term enchantments like this need a ritual in order to anchor them, so it will take a little time. Jiichan, could you get me some candles?"

"Of course," he said, "I'll brew some tea for us all as well."

While they worked Miyoshi took the opportunity to talk to Ikumi, hoping that she could hear her words even if she couldn't respond.

"Ikumi? It's me, Miyoshi. We're all here. Taiko is going to save you, so just relax and try to rest."

 

The girl with the cat ears was yowling into her gag. She was on the table, lying naked on her stomach. Her wrists were crossed and tied behind her back. Her legs were bent foot to ass and tied separately. Each of her knees had rope tied above and below it, creating a solid anchor point that wasn't inclined to slide up her leg. A wooden bar was fixed to those two points to keep her knees open and her pussy pleasantly available.

Her elbows had been bound the same way, and a rope ran between each of them to the opposite knee. In the middle, where they crossed, was a knot that allowed Akio to pull them tighter. He'd pulled them very tight.

She was flexible, as expected of a woman with such feline features. She was bowed so deeply that her breasts weren't even touching the table. Sweat dripped from them, and her whole body was hot and wet.

Flexible or not, it was effective punishment. She'd made a glorious racket while being stripped and when the rope was put to her body. When Akio had first begun to pull the slack out it changed, losing the indignant fury and growing frantically pained. That was a half hour ago.

Akio suspected that she was ready to cooperate, but he had no reason to stop just yet. Her smooth, healthy young skin and lithe figure begged to be abused, and her exotic nature fascinated him. Putting a woman's body in tight bondage had a way of emphasizing her sexuality and feminine traits, and pain had a way of making a woman show off how well she was bound.

He pushed the candle deeper into her ass. She was obviously a virgin there, and even the relatively thin column of wax needed steady pressure to keep moving. She didn't seem to approve, but that was part of the fun. Her tail was held out of the way, tied at its base to her wrists. He lit the wick and let it heat the wax while he walked to the other side of the table. He took a fistful of her hair and lifted her head up, waiting patiently to see her face when the wax dripped down the rest of the exposed shaft and found her skin.

He wasn't disappointed. She wailed and tried to shake her head as it slowly covered her taint. She jerked hopelessly against the strict limits the ropes set on her, her supple form showing off her grace and allure and unwillingly bringing him pleasure. The candle took a long time to burn down to the point where he had to extinguish it, her pussy now coated in the still-hot wax. He left the candle stub where it was while he untied her gag. She was trembling, her breath coming in sharp, short gasps.

"Last time I asked you a question you thought too highly of yourself to answer. I'm going to try again. Who are you?"

The woman had to struggle to gain enough control over her own lungs to speak.

"I'm... my name is Miruku... I'm just a villager..."

"A villager from where?"

"From Umai!"

"Umai? I've never heard of it. Is it in Queen Tomiko's lands?"

"Queen... who? I've never heard of her, I swear."

That was strange. How could she not have heard of Queen Tomiko? Akio would have thought it a lie, but the woman hardly struck him as hardened against torture.

"Tell me about it. Where is it? Who lives there?"

"I will, I'll tell you everything, please just untie me. This hurts too much."

"It hurts as much as I want it to. Talk first, then I'll decide how much it's worth and loosen the ropes accordingly."

Akio ran his fingers across her cheek. She was such a naive creature, imagining that her suffering would be over once she answered a few questions. He at least wanted to give her a few good lashes before he was finished for the night, and of course he'd also be taking that pussy of hers. Maybe she would enjoy that part. Didn't alley cats like it rough?